


Rolling With It

by Music_Feeds_My_Soul



Series: The It Series AKA Anders' Apprentice [1]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Legit this is where it started but I couldn't write a good story with it so here we are, Modern Character in Thedas, Modern Girl in Thedas, Multi, No Plot, Oneshot collection, Plot... no, Random collection of moments, just randomness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-05
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-06-10 10:54:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19501522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Music_Feeds_My_Soul/pseuds/Music_Feeds_My_Soul
Summary: When Jane ended up in Thedas she had no idea what to do. She fell back on her training, reacting to things and trying to figure out if she could get back home. Really, she was just rolling with it the entire time.*Random collection of times when Jane was in Amaranthine*





	1. Chapter 1

Anders first met the child at Vigil’s Keep barely three days after he became a Warden. The Warden-Commander Rosalind Amell- an old friend from the circle actually- was ripping into a servant while a little girl stood around looking amused. Anders grinned and walked up to the child.

“Hey, what’s going on?”

“Benny’s been telling everyone he’s my da and that he’s the one who handles the money. I told the Warden-Commander the truth and she’s super mad that no one asked me and that he’s stealing my wages.” The girl shrugged and then frowned, looking at him. She looked about nine with blonde hair bound back into a braid that looked like it wished to burst out of said braid. Her clothing was a sweater more suited for an adult that was belted with some rope and the sleeves rolled up with more rope tying them around her elbows. She squinted her grey eyes at him. “Whose you?”

“I’m Anders, a new Warden. And you are?”

“Jane.” The child shrugged. “I’m a maid and sometimes herb gatherer.” 

“Oh, do you collect healing herbs?”

“Yep. I’ll keep an eye out.” Jane shrugged. “Hopefully I get my wages now and I can get shoes so it’s not bad going out as much.” She said it a bit louder and Shay went wild on Benny. Anders saw the smirk Jane gave and grinned himself.

Cheeky brat.

The second time Anders saw Jane was when she dumped a heap of healing herbs into his desk. “Here you go ser.” He’s thanked her off-handed, more focused on cleaning the room he’d claimed as an infirmary. “Need a hand?”

He’d accepted and the two fell into a quiet work, the quiet ended when Shay turned up and asked for him to come on the first mission- it was towards the Wending Wood and she wished for a healer if it was truly Darkspawn issues. Jane has waved her hand and offered to continue cleaning and to “find someone who knows how herbs work” Shay and Anders had thanked her and off they went. 

The third time he saw her she’d gotten new clothing- a short-sleeved blouse paired with a blue over dress and a white apron. She wore a pair of firm shoes and had her hair up in a high bun. It had been after the Joining for their newest Warden and Jane had been in the infirmary cleaning it, and muttering about idiots who thought magic was the answer for everything. 

“Oh no need to clean the infirmary, magic can fix it. Well, fuck you morons magic isn’t a fucking cure-all.”

“Where did you learn language like that?” Anders asked, snickering when Jane had yelled and tumbled over the bucket of water on the floor. She gave him a grumpy look.

“I live in a Keep surrounded by soldiers.”

“Well… you got me there.” Anders shrugged. “You’ve been the one cleaning in here?”

“Dirt makes people sicker,” Jane said in a bored tone. “Keeping the infirmary clean now means fewer people sick later.”

“Hmm, not many people know that.” Anders mused. Jane waved a hand. She stood up and got back to cleaning, speaking as she did.

“Got someone to do the herbs but I also learned how so if you ever need help I’m here. No clue about potions so you're on your own for that unless anyone else can.”

“... do you want to learn?” Anders asked. Jane stopped and turned to stare. She studied him, her eyes much too old for such a young face, reminding him of the children of apostates brought into the tower, those who weren’t treated well by the nicer Templars.

“... sure.” She shrugged. “A new skill will help make me look better or give me a skill for a future somewhere else if needed.” With that, Anders taught her how to make health potions, how to make them strong or weak and how to make elfroot potions. “What’s the difference?”

“Health potions will heal anything but are hard to make. Elfroot is good for a heal that isn’t life-threatening, or the potion can be used to keep someone alive long enough for a healer or health potion.” Anders even progressed to showing her how to make other potions, and he found himself with an excellent helper occasionally from then on, Jane often popping in to help. Shay found out and even had the young girl permanently assigned to the infirmary as the maid and potions prep assistant. 

Anders found himself constantly seeing Jane during the time period before their next mission, the girl always willing to help. He didn’t really think about it until one day after a group of soldiers got attained by a group of Darkspawn and were in the infirmary. 

“He’s healing people who need it!” He heard Jane say while healing a very bad leg wound. “Leave, now you fuck!”

“‘Scuse me, but ye-“ a voice began but Anders looked up to see Jane throwing a bucket of water at a very annoying man who came in daily to meet at Anders and ask for potions for his headaches. Anders knee the man was peddling said potions but he didn’t dare refuse. “Ye little-“

“Fuck off.” Jane barked. “You’re a disgusting conman who doesn’t need healing. You need to get to work before I tell the commander.” She threatened the man who stomped off. Jane dropped the bucket to the side and turned around, dragging come cloth out of her apron pocket and wrapping it around her head to keep all stray hairs out of her eyes. “What do you need?”

“Bandages. Some of these men don’t need magical healing right away.” Ander said and the girl moved and… knew how to properly bandage people.

“Any Taint?” Asked the girl after they were almost all done. She asked it very quietly, as she dug out more bandages and Ander a drank a potion.”

“The Commander is putting anyone who got Tainted through the joining,” Anders replied quietly and Jane nodded. 

At the end of it all, Jane and Anders collapsed onto a bench outside the infirmary and groaned.

“... How did you become my apprentice?”

“When I realized you’re an old man.” Jane shot back and Anders laughed.

Cheeky brat.

-0-

Jane did not know how she ended up in Thedas. The last thing she knew was going to bed before her next day of work spying on General Adams.

She remembered the pain, a soft blue glowing light, a feminine voice and then… she was a child again and in Thedas. It… wasn’t pleasant.

She wasn’t even aware of how old she was- she preferred not to think of her childhood much- and could only guess she was younger than eleven which had been when she’d chopped off all her hair in a fit of rage against her mother. 

It had been… hard. Jane had been thirty when she was…transported? Saved from death? Put into a coma? She didn’t know. 

She had been thirty and an agent for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, a spy. She had loved it. She’d been working on spying on a General who was a traitor to the country. But… she didn’t remember.

It had been a shock being in Thedas combined with it being hard to accept but Jane figured after her initital that it was better to act like it was all real even if she was in a coma. So… she’d just rolled with it. Adapted like she’d been taught. She got some rope, fixed her sweater and destroyed her other clothing. Her sweater had been handmade and would pass. Everything else no. She did keep her jewelry- hidden in the secret pocket in her sweater. Most of it was sentimental and despite her knowing she should she could not bare selling it.

She had been lucky that the Blight had created orphans and that many were looking for jobs. She’d gotten a job at Vigil’s Keep fairly easily enough. The only snag was Benny. She’d known what he was doing and retaliated by stealing her money back. Well that was before Rosalind. The actual literal Hero of Ferelden- even if apparently all origins had been true in the end. 

Which threw a huge spanner in the works for her memory. She had liked Thedas, had loved combing through all the lore she could before she got so busy with work. Gaming had been a nice breakaway from spying. When she struggled with pretending to be someone she wasn’t playing a game would help. 

But now she was in the game and things didn't make sense. None of it made sense. Except that Anders was exactly like he was in the game which was... good.

She liked Anders. Not in that way, no. She had never romanced Anders. He had been a sweet man who she felt wasn’t emotionally all there for her to romance in the game but she’d… been sad. She had loved him like a brother and seeing him young and happy… she wanted to see more of that.

So she began hanging around him, helping him out. Something made sense then.

It wasn’t hard- she’d worked as a maid for real and as spy training so she knew how to properly clean. Gathering herbs wasn’t hard. Dealing with idiots? Please. She’s been doing that since she was five.

First time someone decided to douse the mage’s food with magebane- though not the Hero Of Ferelden, not her. She’s no mage, not like that one in the infirmary. Well that person got a nice douse of solider’s bane and the food of Anders swapped out.

Someone tries to bully Anders? They get itching powder. Someone tries to steal potions? Please. She knows how to trap things. 

She didn’t mean to become his apprentice but… well she knew first aid. She knew how to keep people out who didn’t need help. And… well apparently Anders liked her enough so…

She just rolled with it in the end.


	2. Jewelry

Jane considered the pieces of jewelry she had laying out on the cot in the small room she’d been given. The room was just off the infirmary and Jane wasn’t worried about anyone looking in to see her. She’d arranged the cot to be able to cover both the window and the door and had rugged up simple tripwires that would pull things over to make a loud crash if anyone came in with her disarming the traps.

Jane wasn’t a huge jewelry person. It came from despising her mother and her obsession with the perfect family. A stay at home mom, rich husband, 2.5 kids and a dog. A child born out of wedlock had thrown a spanner into that, but her mom had managed to recover. Even so, Jane had disliked jewelry simply because of how obsessed her mother had been with some pieces.

Even so, she had some pieces she kept very close to her heart.

She picked up a simple pair of earrings, the wires silver and a diamond in a classic cartoon shape hanging from the wires. The earrings where from her mother. A gift for getting into college. One of the few times her mother had approved of her life choices. Silly to keep.

But important to her anyway.

The next piece she picked up was a locket. She had it for as long as she could remember, but had never been able to open it no matter what, leading her to think it was just a necklace that looked like a locket. On the locket was a flower- a simple circle surrounded by four petals with red on the petals closer to the circle and white on the outer parts. 

Jane petted it, smiling. She had no idea where it came from but it was important. She’d carried it for years and he idea of parting with it made her ill.

The next piece she picked up made her sigh. A steel bracelet she’d bought after Eric had died. She’d gotten the words ‘Always True’ inscribed into it. It had been a promise between her and Eric. They would always tell the truth to one another. Lies had haunted their steps for most of the childhood. Her with lying about the abuse she faced at the hands of her stepfather and Eric’s lies about his parentage.

That thought brought her to the next two peices. A feminine engagement ring with a small diamond and a male engagement ring with a Celtic design inscribed on it. 

She had loved Eric. Best friends since they were teens, high school sweethearts who’d managed to make it work somehow.

And then he died. Killed in service to the army. 

It hadn’t broken her but it had hurt. She had to go to therapy for a long time. In between missions she’d spoke to a therapist over everything. 

Jane was adult enough to admit she had issues. Issues over her mother, issues over her stepfather and his abuse, more issues over her mother when the woman beat her husband into unconsciousness but didn’t divorce him when she caught him beating Jane. Issues over her complexes. 

Therapy had helped. It had been required by the agency even. 

Jane smiled to herself. Her therapist told her she had a pride issue, but that given Jane could also suck it up to ask for help she wouldn’t bother trying to fix that. Jane liked that therapist. Much better then the other one. That one she’d punched after a few to many stupid comments.

Jane began packing up her jewelry. 

She’d keep it. It was important. 

Would she ever wear it again? Maybe one day. Until then… it was nice, having mementos of her past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mostly written because I wanted to discuss her jewelry but wasn’t 100% sure how to in Working With It? Also I feel like this is more of a Rolling With It chapter honestly.


End file.
